


Christmas Ain't Christmas Without You

by McEuropeskies



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Baking, Christmas Eve, Drinking, Fluff, Hanzo babysitting drunks, Jesse is an affectionate drunk, Light Angst, M/M, One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21707449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McEuropeskies/pseuds/McEuropeskies
Summary: Hanzo quickly notices that Jesse is nowhere in sight at the annual Overwatch holiday party, so he goes out looking for him. Oddly enough, it seems that Hanzo is the only sober person around.
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada
Comments: 10
Kudos: 240





	Christmas Ain't Christmas Without You

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like taking a short break from my angst-filled fic and writing something sweeter. It's a bit early for a holiday fic, but here I am. Holidays can be rough for certain people, so hold your loved ones close! ❤️
> 
> Update: LOOK AT [THIS](https://twitter.com/ieatgrassalot/status/1333525057746984961?s=21)  
> CUTE ART BY @ieatgrassalot on twitter!!

Hanzo stood in the empty hallway listening to the sounds behind the closed door of the rec room: a muffled rendition of _Jingle Bell Rock_ paired with the louder noise of drunken voices singing along. In his hands, he held a freshly-frosted Christmas cake, decorated with strawberries and puffs of whipped cream, for the holiday potluck dinner. Hanzo had been implored to attend the event by Genji. The younger Shimada assured Hanzo that the other agents would be delighted to have Hanzo join them in their drunken escapades and have a chance to try his delicious cake.

“He got the recipe from our grandmother,” Genji had said. “Nobody’s Christmas cake recipe was better than obaachan’s. You’ll all love it!”

So Hanzo had worked on his cake all afternoon, making sure that his measurements were spot on and that the flavors were perfect. He would be lying if he said that he was working to impress the team; in all honesty, he was looking to impress Jesse. The past few months Hanzo spent at Overwatch had brought he and Jesse closer together. Often, he and Jesse shared meals with one another, were paired together on missions, and chatted nights away over bottles of alcohol. Hanzo’s small crush on the cowboy transformed into full-blown adoration. He took every opportunity he could to make Jesse like him more; Hanzo was extra careful in watching Jesse’s back on the field and in making sure that he always stocked up on the Jesse’s favorite coffee and alcohols when it was his turn to shop for provisions.

Hanzo shook his head, remembering the task at hand. He took a deep breath and allowed the door of the rec room to slide open before him. Hanzo was greeted with the sight of his fellow agents in various stages of drunkenness, some hanging off of furniture or lying on the carpet, others dancing and singing along to the music. As soon as Hanzo entered the chaos, a stray tortilla chip flew through the air and hit him on the cheek. Apparently that was the funniest thing that had happened in years because Lucio and D.va bowled over with hysterical laughter.

“Brotherrrrrr,” Hanzo heard Genji say before wrapping an arm around the older Shimada’s shoulders. Hanzo could smell the alcohol radiating off of him. “You came!”

“I am only twenty minutes late,” Hanzo said, looking around. He suddenly noticed that Jesse was nowhere in sight. “I see that everybody is having fun.”

“Of course, it’s Christmas Eve!” Genji paused to let out a gasp. “You brought the cake!” Genji slurred as he swiped a finger through the white icing and stuck it in his mouth. “Come on in. There’s so much to eat.”

Hanzo followed Genji to the center of the room and sat his cake down amongst the array of other foods. There was everything from cookies to beer cheese soup to tiny sausages on toothpicks. Hanzo’s eyes landed on some chocolate-covered strawberries, and he immediately picked one up and took a bite. Genji laughed and patted Hanzo on the back. “Have a drink. Have fun!” And then the younger Shimada was off, reliving his younger years as the life of the party. Hanzo watched him with a smile as he said something that had Lucio laughing loudly once more.

Hanzo looked back to the food table to find Jack Morrison hovering over it, an out-of-place smile on the older man’s face. Hanzo could not remember ever seeing Jack smile, so he guessed that the man had to be drunk. Jack spooned some soup into a bowl for himself, seemingly moving in slow motion. “Do you need assistance?” Hanzo asked with an eyebrow raised.

Jack looked up like he just realized Hanzo was standing there. “Nah,” he mumbled and set his half-full bowl to the side. He moved to cut a slice of Hanzo’s cake next.

Hanzo frowned slightly and looked around the room once more. “Do you happen to know where Jesse is?” he tried.

Jack looked over at Hanzo with a shrug. “Probably where he always is this time of year. Down in town at a bar getting plastered.”

Hanzo looked down and shook his head. “It is…freezing out. And it is a holiday. Are any bars even open?”

“Apparently,” Jack said before walking away with his food.

Hanzo did not believe that anybody deserved to be alone on holidays; he knew it more than anybody. He remembered his countless holidays spent wandering aimlessly as he watched others laugh with their loved ones. He never felt more lost and lonely, like nobody would care if he lived or died, than he did during this time of year. Hanzo looked around the room at the smiling faces and wished for, longed for, one more to be among them.

As Hanzo walked over to the door, his brother waved to get his attention. “Hanzo, brother, where are you going?”

“Just out for a quick smoke. Do not worry about me; enjoy yourself.”

* * *

The wind was relentless, pricking at Hanzo’s skin with every gust that hit him. He sunk deeper into his coat and wrapped his scarf closer to his skin. His breath fogged as he rubbed his gloved hands over his freezing biceps.

Hanzo finally made his way down to the streets of Gibraltar, looking around for any bars or restaurants with their lights still on. Amidst the unforgiving wind, Hanzo saw one building at the end of the street, windows glowing bright and inviting. He trudged over and entered the small, run-down sports bar and was greeted with the scent of cigarette smoke and fries.

Three men sat at the bar: an older couple drinking beers and watching highlights from an unimpressive football match and the one and only Jesse McCree. Jesse laid with his cheek against the bar, clutching his glass of booze in front of his face. Hanzo watched as Jesse moved the glass around in small, quick circles to form a small cyclone of liquor.

Hanzo felt his nose begin running at the sharp contrast in temperature. The bar was warm and cozy, much better than the Hell outside its doors. Jesse looked up as Hanzo approached, his sad look quickly replaced with a genuine, eye-crinkling smile. “Well hey there sweetpea,” Jesse slurred. His accent always sounds much heavier when he was drunk. “Ain’t this a nice surprise. We came t’the same place.”

“I was looking for you, Jesse,” Hanzo replied.

“Lookin’ for me? Aw, honeybee, now why’d you go’n do that?”

Hanzo offered a hand as the other man tried to stand on his wobbly legs, and Jesse grabbed his forearm for support. “I was worried about you,” was Hanzo’s answer.

“Your ears!” Jesse suddenly shouted over a hiccup and cupped Hanzo’s ears in his warm hands. “They’re freezin’ and all pink! Poor thing.”

“I am fine,” he assured the cowboy, thankful that the cold had already dusted his cheeks pink, for he was certain that, underneath it all, he was blushing from Jesse’s touch.

Jesse pulled Hanzo to his chest and squeezed. “Doll, you’re cute as a button, y’know that?”

“And you are drunk.” Hanzo hesitantly stepped back from Jesse, keeping an arm on his bicep for support. He missed the warmth, but there were more important matters at hand. “Would you like to go back home? Everyone was missing you at the party.”

Jesse looked down, and his goofy smile turned into a frown. “ _Home,_ ” he repeated, barely above a whisper. “Don’t know the meanin’ of the word.”

Hanzo rubbed Jesse’s arm. “Sure you do,” he said gently. “They all care very deeply for you.”

“Don’t wanna bring ‘em down. Not tonight,” Jesse said shaking his head.

“You know as well as I that they would never see you as an inconvenience. But you do not have to attend. Would you like to close out your tab and call it a night?”

Jesse suddenly perked up, and his smile returned to his face. “Biscochitos!”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“I want to make biscochitos like my mama used to. Come on, baby, let’s bake ‘em up. You’ll love ‘em.”

Hanzo smiled and walked by Jesse to close out the man’s tab. He took great pleasure in seeing Jesse excited, and he wanted to do what it took to keep the cowboy smiling. “Very well. If that will make you happy.”

“Sure will.”

Hanzo offered up his arm for a second time, dreading walking back out into the cold. It was for Jesse, he reminded himself. It was worth it. When Jesse suddenly put his hands over Hanzo’s ears once more, Hanzo could not help but let out a chuckle. The cowboy then rested his chin on the top of Hanzo’s head, wrapping his head in a coil of warmth.

“I’m yer hat,” Jesse declared. “A’right, let’s go.”

Hanzo laughed louder. Jesse always seemed to become more affectionate when he was drunk – not that Hanzo was complaining. Touches like this were innocent enough, but Hanzo made sure to enforce certain boundaries when the other man was intoxicated. He did not want Jesse to do anything that he would later regret or that made him feel used. Jesse deserved so much better, and Hanzo wanted to see to it that the man got what he deserved and more. “You would like to walk like this the whole way to the Watchpoint?” he asked.

“Ya need a hat,” Jesse answered simply.

Hanzo nodded and wished the bartender a happy holiday before leading Jesse out into the cold. It was a bit difficult for him to walk with Jesse pressed against his back, but Hanzo made do, appreciating the new layer of warmth that Jesse’s body heat added. They awkwardly ventured back to the Watchpoint, and Hanzo was sure to steer Jesse away from the noise and bustle of the party. He would simply have to make Jesse a Christmas cake some other time; he only hoped that the other party attendants enjoyed his dessert dish.

Hanzo knew that Jesse had a small kitchenette in his room with an oven and some utensils. “Do you have the ingredients?” he asked, and when Jesse nodded Hanzo steered them towards the cowboy’s room.

Jesse fumbled to type in the code on the keypad, but he eventually got it right and the doors slid open before them. Jesse’s room was rather plain, walls decorated with the occasional memento from New Mexico, although the room was likely one of the biggest in the Watchpoint. It had a kitchenette, a small living area, a full bathroom, and a bedroom down a narrow hallway. Hanzo was slightly jealous – he only had a dorm-sized bedroom with a small half-bath – but he assumed this was one of the perks that came with being a senior agent.

Jesse detached himself from Hanzo and stretched out his back with a yawn. He turned to Hanzo and studied his face with intense eyes. Hanzo met his gaze with a questioning look. “Yer hair’s in yer face,” Jesse said and took Hanzo’s hand.

Hanzo followed as Jesse led him to the couch, wondering what the cowboy was up to now. Jesse plopped down on a cushion and motioned for Hanzo to sit in front of him. “I thought you wanted to make cookies.” Hanzo said.

Jesse seemed to pout at that, so with a sigh, Hanzo kneeled on the floor with his back to the other man. Jesse leaned forward on his cushion and began running his fingers through Hanzo’s locks, gently brushing out any knots. “D’ya have a ponytail holder?”

“I have a hair tie, yes,” Hanzo said and held one of the elastic bands out to Jesse.

Jesse took it and split Hanzo’s hair into strands that he carefully started to braid. Hanzo smiled to himself. “Are you giving me a braid? Thank you,” he said, sure that the hair-do would be a disaster. He let Jesse work nonetheless, and before long, the cowboy tied off the end of the braid and finished with a small kiss to the top of Hanzo’s head.

“All finished,” Jesse said. “Y’look real nice.”

Hanzo could feel parts of the braid coming loose already, and when he reached back, he felt wisps of hair flying in every direction. “It’s perfect,” he said through a chuckle.

“It brings out yer little angel wings,” Jesse said.

“My what?”

Jesse touched the strands of grey hairs that lined Hanzo’s temples. “Yer little angel wings,” he said again.

Hanzo ran his own fingers over his temples. Jesse’s arsenal of petnames and loving descriptions never ceased to surprise him. “I cannot say I have ever heard my greys called ‘angel wings’ before.”

“That’s a goddamn shame,” Jesse said with a humph. And then, as if just remembering why they returned, Jesse grabbed Hanzo’s shoulders. “Cookies.”

“Yes, let’s make the cookies,” Hanzo said, chuckling.

The two of them set out the ingredients, Hanzo doing most of the work and asking Jesse for directions. Hanzo left Jesse to mix the ingredients while he measured and added them into the bowl. He and Jesse rolled out the dough, and Hanzo sprinkled a light layer of cinnamon sugar on top. Jesse revealed that he did not own cookie-cutters, so Hanzo used a knife to cut out circular shapes in the cookie dough and transported them to the greased baking sheet. He placed the sheet into the oven and walked to the couch to wait.

Rather than following him, Jesse stood in the center of the room with his phone in hand. Hanzo raised an eyebrow as Jesse typed something onto his screen with a shaky finger. After a moment, Jesse turned up the volume on his phone and let _Feliz Navidad_ play at full-blast. Jesse set the phone down and began snapping and shimming along with the beat.

As the chorus started up, Jesse began singing along and pulled Hanzo off the couch by his hands. He moved Hanzo’s arms in a sort of drunken cha-cha, and Hanzo smiled as he let Jesse take the lead. The cowboy spun him around and dipped him low, planting a quick kiss on Hanzo’s forehead before lifting him and resuming the dance once more. Hanzo was in heaven – perhaps Jesse was not lying about the angel wings. He wanted this moment to last. He wanted Jesse to remember this all in the morning.

The oven timer soon went off, and Hanzo and Jesse rushed to check on the cookies. They were lightly browned, and Jesse said that meant they were ready. Hanzo took them out and set them on top of the oven to cool. After some minutes, he used a spatula to move the sweet treats onto a plate and brought them over to the couch.

Jesse turned on the television and began flipping through the channels until he found what he was looking for. There were a few young boys on the screen, one of them bundled up in a humorous amount of warm clothing as he ran from a group of taller, older neighborhood boys. “I can’t believe they still play it,” Jesse mumbled. “Even here.”

“ _A Christmas Story_?” Hanzo asked. He had seen the movie once or twice but could not remember anything remarkable about it.

Jesse took a cookie and took a small bite. “My ma and I used to watch it every Christmas Eve. This channel would play it back-to-back, and we would cuddle on the couch and just watch until I fell asleep.”

Hanzo nodded and patted Jesse’s shoulder. “You miss her?”

“So damn much,” Jesse whispered. As he stared at the screen, tears formed in the corners of his eyes. “Haven’t seen her in years. I just…can’t drag her into this life of danger. She don’t deserve that. It’s better if I try t’forget.”

Hanzo wiped the tears from Jesse’s eyes. “Life is too short to torture yourself so. One of these days, you should visit her. Or perhaps write to her. I would like her to know how wonderful I think her cookie recipe is.”

Jesse let out a choked laugh followed by a sniffle. “Thank ya, Han.”

“It is not a prob—“

“No, thank ya. For all of this. Yer really somethin’, y’know? Always make me smile when yer around.”

“I am glad,” Hanzo whispered, and he felt a blush creep along his neck and face. He chomped down another cookie as he shifted his gaze.

“Will ya snuggle with me?”

Hanzo was unsure what prompted Jesse to ask this time – he had been physically affectionate all night – but he appreciated the gesture. Hanzo nodded, and Jesse immediately pulled him close, resting his head against Hanzo’s chest. Hanzo stroked his hair and trained his eyes on the film. Currently on the screen, a boy had his tongue stuck to a metal flagpole and was yelling for help. Hanzo smiled and shook his head.

He felt Jesse begin to lull to sleep against his chest, and he figured that he should soon get up and fetch the man some water and aspirin. He was sure that Jesse would have a nasty hangover in the morning, but Hanzo hoped that, underneath it all, Jesse was happy. Hanzo lightly kissed the top of Jesse’s head and thought about transporting him to his bed but decided to simply enjoy the moment instead.

The two continued watching the movie, simply enjoying the presence of another warm body. Hanzo felt himself drifting off as well. His head bobbed as he shook himself in and out of sleep, but he clung to Jesse all the while. Hanzo looked down at the other man’s peaceful face and smiled.

“Merry Christmas, Jesse,” he whispered, continuing to stroke Jesse’s hair and hold him close.

“Merry Christmas, Han,” Jesse replied softly.


End file.
